World No. 2 blasts pay disparity between men and women

Sabalenka makes a valid point since the Cincinnati Open, like any ATP 1000, is a tournament where men and women play best-of-three set matches, unlike majors where men battle it out in five-setters. 

The organizers of the Cincinnati Open also faced backlash for the pay disparity in the doubles events, which saw the men's winners Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic ($322,000) netting more than twice their female counterparts, Asia Muhammed and Erin Routliffe ($154,000), for their respective victories.

The backlash was so severe that the organizers issued a statement justifying the pay gap while expressing their commitment to achieving parity in prize money by 2027.

"Equal prize money is extremely important to us, and we are actively working toward achieving that goal," read the official statement. "The economic reality is prize money levels are based upon the amount of broadcast, data, and sponsorship revenues that are received, with the market currently paying a much higher fee for the rights associated with men's sports properties than that of women, thus the difference in prize money." 

Luckily for Sabalenka and other female players, the pay disparity won't be an issue at the upcoming U.S. Open, where both genders are compensated equally for winning hardware. In fact, the U.S. Open was the first Grand Slam event to offer equal prize money in 1973, inspiring the organizers of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and French Open to follow in their footsteps in subsequent years. 

Beyond the majors, however, the pay disparity remains a prevalent issue across ATP and WTA events. As an example, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek received $364,000 for winning the 2022 Italian Open, while Novak Djokovic netted $916,000 for the same event. That Djokovic got nearly three times the prize money became a contentious issue, forcing Italian Open organizers to guarantee equal prize money by 2025.